Columnist Kate Maddox: Rio cuts loose with ‘Footloose’

Kate Maddox

Friday, April 7, 2000 | 8:58 a.m.

Kate Maddox's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesdays. Reach her at kmaddox@lasvegassun.com.

If you couldn't get enough of those '80s flicks, or even better, those '80s soundtracks, then the Rio's new show is made for you. Although the hotel won't "officially" confirm it, the future occupant of the Rio's brand new 1,500-seat theater is "Footloose: The Musical."

In case you don't remember the plot of the 1984 Kevin Bacon film, here's a rundown (the musical has the same storyline): Big-city boy moves to small farm town where dancing is illegal; boy takes on evil minister in order to allow the kids to wear their leg-warmers and jam to Kenny Loggins; boy tames the beautiful-yet-troubled town rebel and makes her his girlfriend; boy succeeds in teaching the population to dance and no one ends up going to hell. A happy ending for all.

Needless to say, with the wave of Broadway shows coming to -- or rumored to be coming to -- Vegas, "Footloose" seems like a pretty solid selection. Sure, the reviews from the New York production weren't that hot, but it's a toe-tapper and it shouldn't be that pricey to stage and produce -- it's no "Lion King."

The Rio's new theater, which is being described as a state-of-the-art, plush, New York-style showroom, is ready to go and, after a brief late-April show, "Footloose" will take the stage for a lengthy run.

Darva Conger finally got her annulment, blah, blah, blah. The more interesting story here is how poised this woman is. She swept through town on Wednesday trailed by about 15 TV cameras attached to media/tabloid personalities and she did it all with very little difficulty. An impromptu courthouse Q&A allowed Conger to cover subjects ranging from: the annulment ("I'm thrilled that it's over") to marriage ("I've lost respect for the institution") to posing nude for millions ("I'm not going to address that, but the offers are still coming in ... it's more money than I've ever made") to her plans ("Well, right now I could use some lunch. And maybe a nap").

Conger, who is playing the "I want my privacy back but how's my makeup holding up in front of the cameras?" role to perfection, managed to make a pit stop at a local jewelry store with the new man in her life. The gentleman, whom she introduced as her "bodyguard," is said to be a Los Angeles-based sales rep who does business in Southern California and Las Vegas.

Sources who have talked with Conger describe the pretty blonde as "smart" and capable of "going the distance with this publicity thing." When asked by reporters if she will retreat from the spotlight now that the marriage is officially kaput, Conger responded that it depends on the job opportunities she's being offered.

If I were her, I wouldn't hold my breath waiting for Regis to call. But she's apparently told people she's convinced that the "multitudes" of Americans who are stopping her at the grocery store and the dry cleaners would like to -- and "deserve to" -- see her maintain her public persona. However, that's probably coming from the same cross-section of people who think it's "cool" that Leonardo DiCaprio got to interview Bill Clinton for ABC News. The clock is ticking on those 15 minutes, Darva -- take the money and run.

In other quick news:

Martha Stewart was spotted at the Venetian this weekend, taking time from her busy schedule to enjoy a spa day at the hotel's Canyon Ranch.

The producers of the game show "Greed" liked Vegas so much when they were in town recruiting contestants that they've decided to build a new show called "Las Vegas Jackpot." The creators this week are shopping the idea to local hotels to house the show, which would be hosted by Spencer Christian.